Mcdonnell Douglas MD80 incident near Denver, Colorado, July 8, 1994
On July 8, 1994 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD80, registered N83873, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 142 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TORQUE LINK ASSEMBLY AND SHIMMY DAMPENER FOR UNKNOWN REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 8, 1994 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 142 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD80
- Registration
- N83873 · no longer on the register · serial 49121
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING ROLL, FOLLOWING AN UNEVENTFUL REVENUE PASSENGER FLIGHT, THE LANDING GEAR BEGAN TO VIBRATE. BRAKES WERE RELEASED AND REAPPLIED WITH NO EFFECT ON THE VIBRATION. INSPECTION OF THE LANDING GEAR REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR TORQUE LINK AND SHIMMY DAMPENER HAD FAILED AND THE GEAR HAD ROTATED 180 DEGREES SEPARATING BRAKE AND OTHER HYDRAULIC LINES. THIS IS THE FIFTH OCCURRENCE OF THIS TYPE ON MD80 SERIES AIRCRAFT AND THE THIRD OCCURRENCE ON RUNWAY 26R AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, DENVER, COLORADO.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 36,738 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 3, 1994; 42 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-9-217 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX at 6:56 pm
- Destination: DEN DE
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26R, 8,599 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:01 pm from DEN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 136 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.